Shearing and gripping device for binding tools



Jan. 13, 1959 M, B. HALL 2,868,238

SHEARING AND GRIPPING DEVICE FOR BINDING TOOLS Filed llay 14. 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR Jan. 13, 1959 M. B. HALL ,86 38 SHEARING AND GRIPPING DEVICE FOR BINDING TOOLS Filed May 14. 1953 :5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 251;

Jan. 13, 1959 L 2,868,238

SHEARING AND GRIPPING DEVICE FOR BINDING TOOLS Filed May 14. 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 atent Ofifice 2,868,238 Patented Jan. 13, 1959 SHEARING AND GRIPPING DEVICE FOR BINDING TOOLS Marchand B. Hall, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Acme Steel Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application May 14, 1953, Serial No. 354,959

6 Claims. (Cl. 140-932) This invention relates to a device which may be attached to or embodied in a tool of the type which is commonly employed for drawing a flexible metal strap taut about a box or package and then cutting ofi the strap preliminary to forming a joint between the overlapping strap ends.

The present invention is particularly adapted for use in that type of tool in which a pivoted gripping dog is employed for gripping one end of a strap passed around a box or package and holding it while the strap is drawn taut and during the operation of forming a joint between the overlapping strap ends. In tools of this type, two relatively movable gripping devices are commonly employed for gripping the opposite end portions of a strap which has been passed around the box or package and after a relative movement of these devices has been effected, the strap is cut off and a joint is formed between'the strap ends.

The principal object of the present inventionis to provide an improved strap gripping device which is preferably employed in conjunction with a shearing device adapted to cut the strap off after it has been drawn taut. A further object of the invention is to provide a combination gripping and shearing device which may be actuated by a single operating member for drawing the strap taut and then severing it from the source of supply. Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved binding tool having a strap gripping device and a shearing device which are actuated by a single operating member. A further object of the invention is to provide a combination strap gripping and shearing device actuated by a single operating member which is adapted upon movement in one direction to release the gripping device from the gripping position and, upon movement in the opposite direction, to sever the strap from the source of supply and then to remove the gripping device from engagement with the strap. Other objects relate to various features of construction and arrangement which will appear more fully hereinafter.

The nature of the invention will be understood from the following specification taken with the accompanying drawings in which one embodiment is illustrated. In the drawings,

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a tool embodying the features of the present invention, the tool being illustrated in position on a box or package about which a strap is being drawn taut;

Fig. 2 shows an enlarged side elevation of the principal parts of the combination gripping and shearing device illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows a side elevation of the gripping and shear ing device illustrated in Fig. 1, looking toward the side of the device which is opposite to that illustrated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 shows a horizontal section taken through the handle of the device on the line 44 of Fig. 2, illustrating a top plan view of the principal parts of the improved device;

5 shows an end levation of the gripping and shearing device looking toward the right as viewed in Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 shows a vertical section taken on the line 66 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 shows a sectional view taken on the line 7-7' of Fig. 6; v

Fig. 8 shows a vertical section taken on the line 88 of Fig. 4 with the gripping dog in the elevated position which it occupies when passing the strap into engagement with the tool;

Fig. 9 shows a vertical section similar to that of Fig. 8 illustrating the gripping dog in gripping position, as it is in Fig. 2, and with the shearing blade being actuated to sever the strap by movement of the operating lever toward the left as viewed in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 10 is a sectional view similar to that of Fig. 9 illustrating the relative positions of the parts after the operating lever has been moved still further toward the left to elevate the gripping dog from engagement with the strap after it has been severed from the source of supply. I

As illustrated inthe drawings, the present invention is embodied in a combined strap gripping and shearing device which is shown as being in position for drawing a metal strap 16, such as a flexible flat steel strap,

about a box or package 17. The free end of the strap 16 is held by the device 15 with the extremity 16a thereof projecting beyond it and the supply portion of the strap is held by another gripping device illustrated diagrammatically at 13. Relative movement of the devices 15 and 18 is adapted to be elfected, for example, by the application of fluid pressure to a cylinder 19 which causes endwise movement of a piston rod 20 attached to the device 15. When the strap has been drawn taut, the

free end portion 16a is united with the overlapping supply portion by means of a sealing device illustrated diagrammatically at 22, and the device 15 is then operated to sever the supply portion of the strap adjacent to the joint.

The present invention is directed to the construction and mode of operation of the gripping and shearing device 15 which comprises a block or housing 25 having a bottom wall or flange 25a which serves as a gripping plate over which the end portion of the strap 16 extends. The block 25 also comprises a rear wall 25b, an end wall 25c, and a front wall or flange 25d. The side wall 25b and the end Wall 250 are formed integrally with a cup-shaped socket member 252 which receives the extremity of the piston rod 20 to which it is secured by a pin 26. Thus, when the piston rod 2th is actuated the block or housing 25 and the parts carried thereby are moved longitudinally of the strap 16.

Between the rear wall 25b and the front wall 25d there is located a gripping device 27 which is pivotally mounted upon a pin 28 secured in apertures formed in the front and rear walls of the block. The gripping dog 27 has a lower serrated gripping surface 27a adapted to engage the upper side of the strap 16 when the strap is seated upon the flange 2511. This gripping surface is located to the left of a verticalplane passing through the axis of the pivot pin 28, as viewed in Fig. 2, so that a pull upon the strap 16 toward the right as viewed in Fig. 2 tends to increase the grip of the dog upon the strap, while a pull in the opposite direction tends to release the strain from the gripping dog. The gripping dog 27 is also provided with a longitudinal slot or recess 2712 which is adapted to receive the supply portion 16b of the strap passed around the package. A plunger 29 is mounted to reciprocate in a tubular bore 270 formed in the gripping dog and a coil spring 39 mounted in this bore is adapted to press the plunger against the end wall 250 of the block so that the plunger operates normally to move the gripping 3 dog to the gripping position shown in Fig. 2. A relatively stationary shearing block or die 32 is mounted on the end face of the gripping dog 2? and it has a bottom inclined surface 32 which is directed downwardly toward the serrated gripping surface 27a. This shearing die has formed therein a slot. or recess'32b which is. located in alignment with the slot 27b in the gripping dog so that "thesupply portion 16b of the strap may pass through these aligning slots when it is extended around the box or package 17. The shearing die 32 is secured'to the gripping dog 27 by means of two screws 33 which pass through apertures in the shearing die and engage threaded recesses formed in the end face of the gripping dog. These screws 33 also pass through a retaining member which has an L- shaped horizontal cross section with an end face 34a seated against the end face of the shearing die or block 32. In-this way, the shearing die 32 is secured in fixed relation to the gripping dog. A relatively movable shear- "ing blade 35 is mountedto reciprocateiu a general vertical direction between the shearing die 32 and the retaining member 34 and it isprovided at its lower end with an inclined cutting edge 35a which is adapted to cooperate with the edge 32c of the die 32 at the margin of the'slot 32b for cutting oh? the supply portion 16b of the strap when there is relative movement of the shearing blade and the shearing die. The shearing blade 35 is provided at its upper end with spaced ears 35b which are provided with cylindrical apertures in which there is journaled a pivot pin 36. This pin has secured thereto an operating lever 37 provided at its upper end with a spherical ball 3711 which may be engaged by the hand ofthe operator for effecting a reciprocating motion of the lever. The pin 36 has secured thereon a cam 38 which is somewhat pearshaped in form with its larger extremity arranged to extend into a slot 32d which is formed in'the relatively stationary shearing block or die 32, as shown particularly in Fig. 8. With this arrangement, movement of the operating lever 37 toward the right as viewed in Fig. 2 compresses the spring 36 to allow the elevation of the gripping dog 27 from the gripping flange 25a, as shown in Fig.8, thus permitting the free end of the strap to be passed beneath the gripping dog at the commencement of the operation of extending the strap around the box or package. When the strap has been placed on the flange 25a, the lever 37 may then be released and the spring actuated plunger 29 will then return the gripping dog 27 to the gripping position shown in Fig. 2. Then, after extending the strap around the package 17, the supply portion 16b of the strap is extended through the aligning slots 27b and 32b and then carried to the gripping device indicated at 18 where this portion of the strap is gripped preliminary toeifecting movement of the device by the piston rod in order to draw the strap taut. When the strap has been drawn taut, the lever 37 is moved from the upright position shown in Fig. 2 toward the position shown in Fig. 9, thus causing the cam 38 to bear against the upper surface or" the slot 32d in thestationary die and efiect a downward movement of the'shearing blade35 with the result that the supply portion 16b of the strap is cut 'off. The lever 37 may then be continued to the posi- 'tion shown in Fig. 10 and, as it approaches this position, a pin 4-0 secured in the movable shearing blade 35 engages a shoulder formed on the rear wall 25b of the block 25' with the result that the gripping dog 27 is then moved out of engagement with the strap, as shown in Fig. 10, so that the flange 25a and other parts of the device 15 may be moved out of engagement with the strap.

In order to regulate the action of the shearing blade 35, the retaining member 34 is provided with a circular recess in which there is mounted a circular plate 41. This plate is engaged by the end of an adjusting screw 42 threadedly engaging the member 34 and having. a locknut 43'mounted thereon. The screw 42 is provided with a slot-so that it may be adjusted by a screw driver or the like to'vary the pressureof the plate ll on the blade 35 4 and therebyadjust the pressure with which the shearing blade engages the face of the stationary shearing die 32. When the adjustment has been made, the screw is held in adjusted position by the nut 43.

The operating lever 37 is normally held in the upright position with respect to the shearing blade by means of a ball 44 mounted in a recess 34b formed in the member 34 and'actuated by a coil spring 45 to engage aconeshaped recess 35c'iormed in'the shearing blade 35. The shearing blade is thus held in a retracted position until it is positively actuated by movement of the lever 37 toward the left as viewed in Figs. 2, 9 and 10.

From the foregoing description itwill be apparent that a combination strap gripping and shearing device has been provided wherein an operating lever is adapted, upon movement in one direction, to move the gripping dog from gripping position and, upon movement in the op- ..posite direction, to effect first a shearing of the supply portionof the strap and then a-second form-of movement of the gripping dog from gripping position to allow the relativemovement of the taut strap and. the parts-of the gripping and shearing'device. The operation of the tool is thus greatly simplified since the movement of the lever which cuts the strap may be continued to permit the prompt release of the tool from the strap.

Although one form of the'invention has been shown and described byway of illustration, it will be understood that it may be constructed in various other embodiments which come withinthe scopeof the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device of the class described, comprising a block having a flange forming a seat for a metal strap, a gripping dog pivotally mounted on said block, means for causing said gripping dog normally to engage a strap seated on said flange, a pivoted operating lever, a cam actuatedby-said lever, and a member-carried by 'said gripping dog-and having a slot engaged 'by saidcam, whereby pivotal movement of said lever will move 'said grippingdog away from said flange.

'2.-A device of the class described, comprising-a block having a flange forming a seat for a metal strap, a gripping dog-pivotally mounted on said block, means for causing said-gripping dog normally to engage 'a strap seated on said flange, a shearing blade carried by said gripping dog andhaving relativernovement thereon,'an

operating leverpivoted on said blade, a cam'movable with said lever, and a member mounted on said gripping dog and havinga slot engagedby said cam.

3. A device of the class described, comprising a block havinga-flange forming a seat for a metal strap, a gripping dog pivotally mounted on said block, means for causing said gripping dog normally to engage a strap seated on said flange, -a shearing blade carried'by said grippingjdog and having relative movement thereon, an operating lever pivoted on said blade, a cammovable with said lever, a member mounted on saidagripping dog and having a slot engaged by said cam, and means for normally holding said blade in fixed position with respect to said gripping dog.

4. A deviee of'theclass described, comprising --a block having a flange forming a seat for a metal strap, a gripping dog pivotally mounted on said block, means for causing said gripping dogn'ormally to engage a strap seated on-said flange, a shearing die mounted-on said gripping dog for movement therewith, a shearing blade mounted to slide on'said 'die andto cooperate withisaid die to shear the'strap, a leverpivoted on said blade, and means for causing the movement of said lever to tilt said gripping dog awayfrom said'flange and to effect a shearing movement of saidblade.

5. 'A'deviceof the class described, comprising a blocl: having a flange forming a-seat for a metal strap, a. gripping -dog pivotally mounted on said block, means for causing said gripping do'g normally to -engagma strap seated on said flange, a shearing die mounted on said gripping dog for movement therewith, a shearing blade mounted to slide on said die and to cooperate with said die to shear the strap, an operating lever pivoted on said blade, and a cam actuated by said lever, said die having a slot engaged by said cam.

6. A device of the class described, comprising a block having a flange forming a seat for a metal strap, a gripping dog pivotally mounted on said block, means for causing said gripping dog normally to engage a strap seated on said flange, a shearing die mounted on said gripping dog for movement therewith, a shearing blade mounted to slide on said die and to cooperate with said die to shear the strap, an operating lever pivoted on said blade, a cam actuated by said lever, said die having a slot engaged by said cam, and means for normally holding said blade in fixed position on said die.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,897,650 Harvey Feb. 14, 1933 1,947,670 Wolf Feb. 20, 1934 2,368,969 Cleveland Feb. 6, 1945 2,612,804 Craig Oct. 7, 1952 2,751,939 Barker June 26, 1956 

